Healthier piglets by tailoring sow’s diet

Fulfilling a sow’s increased nutritional needs in the last trimester may lead to greater productivity for both the mother and her piglets, according to assistant professor Crystal Levesque of the South Dakota State University Department of Animal Science. During her doctoral research at the University of Alberta, the pig nutritionist found that a sow’s protein requirement in late pregnancy was substantially higher than in early pregnancy. The bulk of piglet growth takes place in the fina